10-30-2008, 11:10 AM
A limited fishery for Central Valley Chinook salmon will begin November 1, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced today. From Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, 2008, the Sacramento River from 150 feet below the Lower Red Bluff (Sycamore) Boat Ramp to the Highway 113 bridge at Knights Landing will open under a daily bag and possession limit of one salmon. The remainder of the Central Valley basin, which includes the Sacramento, Feather, American and San Joaquin rivers or any of their tributaries, will remain closed to salmon fishing.
"The Fish and Game Commission approved this very limited fishing opportunity to Central Valley salmon sport anglers due to the present stable status of the late fall run and the lack of significant impact to fall run," said Neil Manji, DFG Fisheries Branch Chief. "During this limited fishing opportunity, it is extremely important that all sport anglers cooperate with DFG fishery surveys and closely adhere to existing fishing regulations to allow this fishery to open again in 2009."
Late fall run Chinook are presently not listed at the federal or state level and are a different race of salmon than those impacted by the ocean and Central Valley fisheries closures earlier this year. DFG surveys show slightly increased returns of late fall run Chinook from 17,035 adult salmon in 2005 to 21,701 in 2007.
DFG biologists conducting the Central Valley angler survey will continue to monitor angler effort and harvest in this fishery. Biologists will collect all heads from salmon with a missing adipose fin to recover coded wire tags (CWTs). CWTs provide a variety of information on Central Valley Chinook salmon, including race and origin of the fish and the contribution of hatchery production to the fishery. Angler cooperation in this matter is required by Fish and Game Code section 8226. Anglers are requested not to fillet their catch of salmon before they are brought to shore so that biologists have the opportunity to collect data on the catch, including size and gender of the fish, and to determine the presence or absence of other marks and tags on the fish.
All regulations on general fishing methods and gear restrictions that apply to Central Valley salmon can be reviewed on the DFG Web site at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations.
This limited fishery will be under close scrutiny by game wardens for enforcement of fishing methods and the one salmon daily bag and possession limit. Snagging of salmon is strictly prohibited. Snagging is defined as impaling or attempting to impale a fish in any part of its body other than the mouth by use of a hook, gaff, bow and arrow, or spear. It is also unlawful to kill or retain in possession any fish which has not voluntarily taken the bait or lure in its mouth.
The 2008 status of Sacramento River fall Chinook will be determined by DFG and other biologists as the fall progresses. Surveys conducted this fall will be used early in 2009 to formulate regulations for the 2009 salmon fishing season. The final results will not be known until all data is collected, assembled and analyzed for review in regulatory processes by the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the California Fish and Game Commission.
More information about the 2008 California salmon fishery can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/salmon.
Media Contact
Scott Barrow, Fisheries Branch, (916) 445-7600<br />
Harry Morse, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8962
"The Fish and Game Commission approved this very limited fishing opportunity to Central Valley salmon sport anglers due to the present stable status of the late fall run and the lack of significant impact to fall run," said Neil Manji, DFG Fisheries Branch Chief. "During this limited fishing opportunity, it is extremely important that all sport anglers cooperate with DFG fishery surveys and closely adhere to existing fishing regulations to allow this fishery to open again in 2009."
Late fall run Chinook are presently not listed at the federal or state level and are a different race of salmon than those impacted by the ocean and Central Valley fisheries closures earlier this year. DFG surveys show slightly increased returns of late fall run Chinook from 17,035 adult salmon in 2005 to 21,701 in 2007.
DFG biologists conducting the Central Valley angler survey will continue to monitor angler effort and harvest in this fishery. Biologists will collect all heads from salmon with a missing adipose fin to recover coded wire tags (CWTs). CWTs provide a variety of information on Central Valley Chinook salmon, including race and origin of the fish and the contribution of hatchery production to the fishery. Angler cooperation in this matter is required by Fish and Game Code section 8226. Anglers are requested not to fillet their catch of salmon before they are brought to shore so that biologists have the opportunity to collect data on the catch, including size and gender of the fish, and to determine the presence or absence of other marks and tags on the fish.
All regulations on general fishing methods and gear restrictions that apply to Central Valley salmon can be reviewed on the DFG Web site at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations.
This limited fishery will be under close scrutiny by game wardens for enforcement of fishing methods and the one salmon daily bag and possession limit. Snagging of salmon is strictly prohibited. Snagging is defined as impaling or attempting to impale a fish in any part of its body other than the mouth by use of a hook, gaff, bow and arrow, or spear. It is also unlawful to kill or retain in possession any fish which has not voluntarily taken the bait or lure in its mouth.
The 2008 status of Sacramento River fall Chinook will be determined by DFG and other biologists as the fall progresses. Surveys conducted this fall will be used early in 2009 to formulate regulations for the 2009 salmon fishing season. The final results will not be known until all data is collected, assembled and analyzed for review in regulatory processes by the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the California Fish and Game Commission.
More information about the 2008 California salmon fishery can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/salmon.
Media Contact
Scott Barrow, Fisheries Branch, (916) 445-7600<br />
Harry Morse, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8962